Defeating Terrorism and How You Can Help

"Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” We are told that 99% of Muslims living in Western societies are peace-loving souls. That is backed up by the observation that only 800 out of Sydney’s population of 100,000 Muslims turned…Read More

What is Terrorism?

Terrorism is the unofficial or unauthorized use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. The Global Terrorism Database collects statistics on domestic as well as transnational and international terrorist incidents. The GTD uses the following criteria to further define a terrorist act.

the violent act was aimed at attaining a political, economic, religious, or social goal

the violent act included evidence of an intention to coerce, intimidate, or convey some other message to a larger audience (or audiences) other than the immediate victims

the violent act was outside the precepts of International Humanitarian Law insofar as it targeted non-combatants

As I enter the seventh decade of my life I look back on all the people that have been a part of it. There were many: some long-time friends, many, many casual acquaintances, work-mates, close female relationships, family relationships. By far the most wonderful person was my mother. She had a handful putting up with this wretch of a son writing now. She loved life, loved her family, loved her Christian God; and she was loved and respected by all around her. She worked hard to raise a family of three boys, her house was always fresh and homely, the garden tended with loving care, she had a full-time job and always had time for voluntary work with her church. When trouble arose the remedy was to put the kettle on for a cup of tea and a heart-to-heart; never a flaming row.

Deism is much richer than I think many deists, especially new deists, really understand. It is a three-dimensional philosophy that focuses on: (1) God's existence and nature; (2) our relationship with God and the Creation; and, (3) the practical application of deism in our daily lives. I will write more extensively on each dimension in the future.

Dimension 1: God's Existence and Nature (God Concept)

The first dimension of deism is the aspect where many, if not most, deists spend their contemplative time. We struggle with the question of whether or not the evidence before us supports God's existence. We are deists because we conclude that it does. We see God as the foundational cause for all of existence.

My biological father was incredibly abusive and twisted. He frequently beat my mother, breaking her ribs and giving her multiple black eyes over the years. It was not until the summer after my third grade year that my mom finally found the courage to divorce him. She maintained that her strength came from her deep belief in Jesus and the support of friends, family, and her church. Whether or not Christianity is true, it had a clear and positive impact on my mom's life. Perhaps that is why I am not as antagonistic of religion as some.

While in college in the early 90's, my mom, repeatedly, implored me to get baptized. At the time she was a Mormon and, if I remember correctly, sent some missionaries to meet with me. Even then, I didn't believe in their message. Out of love for my mother, I ended up being baptized as a Mormon. After attending church a few times, I quit going. I didn't believe their message or in their prophet, Joseph Smith. More importantly, this was the beginning of the end regarding the way I made my determinations about life. Although I always strive to be respectful, I will never again adopt a religious or philosophical viewpoint to make someone else happy. I must evaluate it on my own terms.

I was recently asked by one of our members for advice on how to raise a child without religion. Complicating the issue, the questioner thought one might need to experience religion, first, to truly appreciate being a deist. These are great questions and I had to spend a couple of days thinking about my response. Since the majority of deists, including me, came to deism via Christianity, I will answer these questions from that perspective.

About

Promoting deism since 2004, Positive Deism simply keeps our focus on what deism is instead of focusing on what deism is not. Traditionally, deists have tended to spend much of their time being anti-Christian (negative). However, we choose to focus on deism itself. We are most concerned with everything that is deistic in nature and would like to advance our knowledge and experience of it (positive).